DIY: Installing Hardwood Stairs

Hardwood stairs are beautiful. Installing them can be tedious and time consuming, but the finished product is always a sight to behold. Hardwood floors add style and beauty to your home, and can make your decorations more appealing by bringing out their beauty. Following the steps below will help you install your hardwood stairs and save you tons of money that would have been spent on someone else's labor. Let it be a new adventure as you improve the value and look of your home.

Step1: Preparation- In the first step of the installation process, you begin by removing the old carpeting and pad, as well as tack strips. Remove the nosing that came with your carpeting because it is not suitable for hardwood stairs. Install treads and risers tightly to the stair stringer, also known as skirting. This process makes for a clean and professional looking stairs.

Step 2: After removing the nosing, cover your stingers, which are the side walls of the stairs. Use about a quarter inch plywood that match the new hardwood steps. Now some stairs already came with stringers, you just reface it to match your new steps. Some were drywall so you have to create your new stingers and glue them on. If you are creating a whole new stinger because you had drywall before, you might find it helpful to practice your wood cutting with cardboard for a template that will be used as model to cut your decorative plywood.

Step 3: In this step, you cut the risers, which are rectangular pieces of wood that cover the back of each step. Measure and cut out each piece and be sure to mark which goes where.

Step 4: Now trim your new hardwood stairs and put them on the steps. As with the risers, number them as you work from the top to bottom.

Step 5: in this step, you will apply urethane finish to the nosing and new treads. Applying a finish is time consuming, so this step will take time if the steps are unfinished plywood. Put a urethane finish on the nosing and new treads and let them sit for a couple of days before you install them. This is to keep them from sudden damages and easy denting. The coating substance will need time to dry and shine so let the woods sit some time to fully absorb the finishes.

Step 6: The final step is to install your new hardwoods. Install the stinger coverings created in the first step. Work from top to bottom to install your new hardwood trims for the risers. Push it tightly to the top side of the floor nosing. Use construction glue to glue the riser in appropriate place, then nail in where necessary. If there are holes, fill with shim and work your way to the bottom of the staircase. Enjoy your new hardwood stairs.

Note: To avoid squeaky steps, be sure to check the condition of the risers and the steps after you had removed the old carpet and tack strips. Make sure the risers are flat, and if noise persists you can use long decking screws to fix the noise. You can also place wood shims and wedge between places that may appear loose due to years of traffic on the carpet of the staircase.

As with any other construction project, be sure to keep tools out of the reach of children while installing your hardwood stairs. Be safe and take precautions to clean up after using potentially dangerous tools.

Sources:
http://www.woodsthebest.com/Stairs/install-hardwood-stairs.htm